History and Background

Known in the city since 1986 for its "visually arresting," "highly imaginative," dance theater works, and unusual collaborative projects AMM & DCO has performed over 80 major works choreographed by Anne-Marie Mulgrew in 325 performances in the United States and Canada. AMM & DCO has conducted 66 residency programs primarily for underserved populations and more than 3,575 classes/workshops. The company's works have appeared in theaters, alternative spaces, site specific locations, schools, festivals, collaborative projects and for film and TV such as The Barnes Museum, Christ Church Neighborhood House, The Porch-30 St. Station, the University of the Arts Theater/Drake Theater, The Painted Bride, The Institute of Contemporary Art, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, University of PA Museum of Anthropology & Archaeology, The Philadelphia Cathedral, Mandell Theater, Penn's Landing, Fairmount Park, The Horticultural Center, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philly Fringe Festival/Live Arts, Parallax Pictures Studios, Conwell Dance Theater, The Sanctuary at The Rotunda, and The Kimmel Center to name a few. Ms. Mulgrew's acclaimed choreography for the TALES OF THE BUFFOON which was commissioned by and has appeared on Channel 12 TV nationally, continues to charm thousands of home viewers. Fusing modern dance, theater, music, technology and art, the company charms, provokes and informs audiences of all ages with its insightful and wacky views of the world. The company consists of 5-7 professional dancers and esteemed peer collaborators. Additional performers are used on a project basis to flesh out materials and involve new communities.

The Director




Anne-Marie Mulgrew (collaborator, choreographer, performer, and educator) is the Founder/Artistic Director of ANNE-MARIE MULGREW AND DANCERS CO., (AMM & DCO), an experimental modern dance company founded in 1986. For the company, she has created more than 90 major works that have appeared on traditional concert stages, festivals, alternative venues, unusual places, museums and film in the United States and Canada. In the spring 2001, under her direction, AMM & DCO was selected for a prestigious month-long artist-in-the schools residency at The Yard, Chilmark, MA. Anne-Marie is the recipient of the Temple University Fellow Award, Stella Moore Dance Award, two Woo and an Art for Change award from The Leeway Foundation, a PA Council Fellowship and a Philadelphia Fringe Rocky. Under her direction, AMM & DCO has received numerous grants and commissions, notably from WHYY, Channel 12 TV, funded by PEW, to create a video that aired nationally, a commission from the Friends of the Rodin Museum, a commission for a new work instigated by Mahler's music and a commission to create the Opening Dance for the 10th Enterprise Awards ceremony. Anne-Marie holds a BS in Ed and an MFA in Dance from Temple University where she was adjunct faculty for five years. Anne-Marie has also served as dance faculty for Penn State University, The College of NJ, and University City Arts League. She has performed in special projects with internationally known artists - Kei Takei, Wendy Perron, Stephan Koplowitz, Bridgman/Packer and Boris Charmatz. She has appeared as an extra with London's Royal Ballet, Opera Philadelphia's 2018 "Sky on Swings," and was one of two featured actor extras in Curtis Institute's 2024 Opera, "The Cunning Little Vixen." She was a featured actor for Jonas dos Santos' Lila Wallace Digest documentary, appeared in Robert Palumbo's feature film Fallout and Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender and was the subject of a thirty-minute documentary Creativity produced by and aired on Comcast Cable TV. In June 2017, Anne-Marie and the company were featured in the Friday Arts Program produced by WHYY TV. Anne-Marie was selected from a national pool to attend the first Choreography for the Screen program at The School of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Beckett MA in 2003. Under her direction, AMM & DCO has conducted 65 residency programs for inner city and rural youth as well as The Keepers Project for senior citizens. In addition, Anne-Marie served as a panelist for Philadelphia Cultural Fund, PA Council's Project Stream and NJ Arts Council as well as for the National High School Dance Festival. Anne-Marie enjoys teaching free Yoga classes for the Free Library of Philadelphia and community events in public spaces and is an Education Consultant for Penn Live Arts.


The Board



The Dancers

Full list of Dancers from 1986 to 2023

Shelby Bakota (she/they) is a performer, choreographer, and teacher from Woodbury, New Jersey. Bakota focused her classical ballet studies at Ballet NJ under David Gallagher. She attended Gloucester County Institute of Technology, where she trained in modern, ballet, and contemporary forms. Bakota graduated with a BFA in Dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. While at Rutgers, she trained in modern, ballet, contemporary, improvisation, and cultural dance forms. Bakota has performed in works by Pam Tanowitz, John Evans, Niall Jones, Alfdaniels Mabingo, and multiple student choreographers. In addition to dance, Bakota also instructs yoga, which provides a different approach to movement and the body. Her choreography has been performed at festivals in NYC and throughout New Jersey. Currently, Shelby performs with Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co. (AMM & DCO )in Philadelphia and Bart.Co Dance in NJ. She is also a freelance choreographer and teacher in South Jersey and Philadelphia.

Jasmin Cicchino is a multidisciplinary artist. She began her training as a ballet dancer following the Royal Academy of Dancing program. In 2019 she moved from her little home town in Italy to Milan to start her training journey with the musical academy “MTS-Musical! The school”, graduating in 2021 with knowledge of jazz, musical theater dance, singing and acting. In the same years she encountered a passion for aerial arts, more specifically for aerial hoop and she decided to immerse herself headlong until she became a CSEN (national educational sports center) certified instructor and ,later on, obtaining the gold medal in the 2023 Aerialympics on Lyra. In 2022 she moved to the United States and began working as a performer, dancer, aerialist and flowartist throughout the tri-state area. Among her most relevant works we remember “Sette Mondi”: the Edu musical with the company “Incanto Productions” (in NYC) and others. She is also a dancer for KCBC dance company in Philadelphia. She has been a member of Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co. since 2024.

J.A. Kirk (they/them) is a performing artist newly based in Philadelphia. They began their dance training in high school and are a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. They continued their education receiving a BA in Dance and a BS in Integrative Physiology and Health Sciences from Alma College in 2023. J.A. has had the pleasure of working with and performing works by artists such as Cisco Graciano, Winston Dynamite Brown, Yoshito Sakuraba, Ben Munisteri, and Kayt MacMaster. They most recently performed with ArtLab J l based in Detroit and Petra Zanki Dance Company in Brooklyn. J.A. is excited to be working with AMM & DCO this season!

Leslie Ann Pike started her dance training at age 2. In 2005, she graduated with a BA in Dance from DeSales University in Allentown, PA. While at DeSales she studied under Trinnette Singleton, Vincent Brousseau and Lynne Mariani and was a member of the DeSales University Touring Company. Before graduating she joined BosmaDance of Washington, DC. Leslie Ann has performed with Mary LaBianca, Serendipity Dance Ensemble, Re-Cored Dance Co., Eng & Friends Dance Co., SHARP Dance Company, and Alchemy Dance. She has been a member of Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co. since 2009 and a featured dancer in major AMM & DCO works such as SALT, The Keepers Project, Le Dada Va Gaga, Anywhere/The Big 30!, Strange Dreams: 30 Years Later, From the Feminine Gaze, Beautiful Chaos, NOW, and A Shout from the Bones. Broad Street Review notes “Pikes’s solo Memories from Within, choreographed by A. Mulgrew set to Bach was a highlight… Pike had lovely extensions and a series of splits … and brought a touch of elegance to the performance.” Pike serves as Rehearsal Director.

India Scott is a Philadelphia based dancer and choreographer. In her work she explores the spectrum of self, identity, and sexuality through a feminist lens while also exploring how these areas interact with the media and literature. She is interested in taking her work from the general to the personal, and working collaboratively and intimately with other dancers and artists. India received her diploma at Capital Area School for the Arts in Harrisburg PA, where she largely focused on interdisciplinary arts, as well as improvisational and choreographic techniques. She completed her B.S. in Dance from Drexel University in June 2024, where she largely focused on refining her technical vocabulary and exploring research in dance and choreographic methods.

Nerissa Tunnessen (they/them) is an American dancer and choreographer based in Philadelphia, PA. This is their first season with Anne Marie Mulgrew and Co. Nerissa has recently performed as a member of Gesture Theater in NYC, with Yu.S Artistry at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and was a company member with the Vassar Repertory Dance Theater for four years. They have recently presented work at the Fringe Festivals in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Asheville, and Richmond, KYLD’s Inhale, WAXworks at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn, Kefalos Municipal Theater while in residence at the Ionion Center for the Arts and Culture in Kefalonia Greece, River Dance Festival in New Hope, When Waves Collide Festival in Flemington, and Leah Stein’s Studio Works. A graduate of Vassar College, Nerissa has had the pleasure of working with and learning from choreographers such as Desmond Richardson, Hofesh Shechter, Guy Nader and Maria Compos, Tom Weksler and Roser Tutusaus, Larry Kegwin, Steve Rooks, and Leslie Sachs. They are excited to be joining AMM & DCO for its 39th season!

AMM & DCO Dancers from 2024-2022 Seasons

Arielle Ridley fell in love with dance at the age of thirteen in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. By the age of seventeen, Arielle found a passion for performing, teaching, and choreographing. She earned her BFA with honors in Dance Theatre from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, attending both the NY and LA campuses. She has trained under choreographers and instructors such as Genevieve Carson, Monika Felice Smith, Laura Berg, and Tracie Steinfield. Some of her most recent achievements have been performing at Steelstacks Center in the show The Body Keeps the Score as a featured soloist, and performing at the International Human Rights Arts Festival in NYC with JCWK Dance Lab. Currently, she lives and works in the Philadelphia area, and is currently performing with Anne Marie-Mulgrew and Dancers Co. (in her third season), JCWK Dance Lab, freelancing, and teaching multiple styles to all ages.

Ava Pizzi began dancing at the age of two with Harrison Dance Studios in West Chester, Pennsylvania. She trained in ballet, advanced pointe, partner work, Broadway tap, and contemporary jazz until graduating high school. She graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Dance and a minor in Somatics in December 2024. Ava is a certified Pilates Mat instructor working with Jennifer Morley to earn her full Pilates certificate. You may see her teaching class at The Balance Room, a Pilates studio in Queen Village. She is also a teacher with Koresh Kids Dance, a program that provides weekly in-school creative dance classes to students in Philadelphia public schools. Ava has a passion for using dance to inspire healing art within her community, as well as sharing the Pilates method to influence her teaching dance to children here in the Philadelphia area and at her home studio in West Chester. Ava began dancing with Anne-Marie Mulgrew Dancers and Co. in February 2022. In her third season as a company member, she is extremely grateful to continue dancing, performing, managing AMM & DCO's Instagram account and learning with Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co.

Em Godfrey is a Korean nonbinary performing artist, educator, and choreographer in the Mid-Atlantic region. Their dance training began in Maryland, where they hold a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Professionally, Em has performed and showcased their choreography at multiple locations in the Baltimore/D.C area such as: Baltimore Theatre Project, Baltimore Light City/Brilliant Baltimore, Dance Place, the annual American College Dance Association Conference, and the John F. Kennedy Center. Now residing in Philadelphia, they have performed professionally with various groups including Brian Sanders' JUNK, Klassic Contemporary Ballet Co., Anne Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co, (in their third season) and Yu. S. Artistry.

Tori Vincent is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana currently residing in Philadelphia. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Louisiana in 2018, while working professionally with various artists throughout Lafayette. Her work with the Atlanta, Georgia dance community includes projects and performances with Zoetic Dance Ensemble and Fly on a Wall; as well as traveling to Italy in 2018 to attend the Staibdance Summer Intensive and directing NACHMO (National Choreography Month) Atlanta 2020. She is currently dancing with Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co. (in her second season) and recently with Melissa Rector of Koresh Dance Company. Tori is also instructing Pilates, completing a RYT-200 yoga teacher training, and exploring new personal compositions. She is a co-founder of GRATon40 Art Collective and co-produced, choreographed, and performed To Dance With a Purple Goblin, which premiered in 2023 through Cannonball at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Her most recent work, InOutWard, was showcased in the 51st Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers' InHale Performance Series in Philadelphia (2023), unKEMpT Dance Festival in NYC (2023), Koresh Artist Showcase in Philadelphia (2024). Influences on her personal work involve the roles we play in our individual and societal health, alongside behaviors created by our milieu.



The Alumni



The Collaborators



Performance Highlights

The company has appeared in NYC at University Settlement House, Context Studios, DanceSpace, the DIA Center, the Dumbo Festival, Evolving Arts Studio, Free Range Studio, UBU Repertory Theatre and Movement Research. In July 2011, the company made its debut at Dance Place, Washington DC. In 2015, AMM & DCO's film work was selected for the RAD Festival in Kalamazoo, MI. AMM & DCO firsts include

AMM & DCO's commissions include Friends of the Rodin Museum, The Borowsky Gallery, WHYY-Channel 12 TV, Chester Springs Studio, The Mahler Project and The 10th Annual Enterprise Awards.

Education Highlights

AMM & DCO believes in bringing dance to people-of-all-ages and backgrounds through its free public performances and affordable educational outreach programs. AMM & DCO taught ongoing classes at University Arts League, its community partner for 35 years and currently offers classes for the Free Library of Philadelphia.

AMM & DCO is on the roster for Pennsylvania Council's Arts in Education programs. Past programs include a 10 day residence at Watson Comly Elementary School, Phila. PA; a month long residency at the Reiffton School, (Reading PA), a 40-day residency through Owen J. Roberts School District, (Chester County, PA); an month long residency at The Yard, Martha Vineyard's Chilmark Elementary School, a 20 day residency at Stafford Intermediate School, Manahawkin, NJ, and 10 day residencies at Elmer Elementary School, Elmer NJ and Spring Garden Elementary, Phila. PA. AMM & DCO has participated in three SLAM summer programs sponsored by the School District of Philadelphia and administered by PAEP.

Funded by The Leeway Foundation Arts & Change Grant Program, AMM & DCO created a new program for seniors (The Keepers Project) inspired by the Creative Arts & Aging Movement.